USCC Prepares To Run Prestigious Red Lake I-500

Minto, ND (January 7, 2010) – One of the most grueling and heralded races in snowmobiling is set to take place in the fields, ditches, woods and rivers of the Red Lake Indian Reservation and areas surrounding Thief River Falls, Minn. This year’s I-500 will mark the 39th running of the race that is a brutal test of both man and machine. Spanning three days and encompassing 500 miles of terrain, the winner of the FXR Pro 600 class will receive a $10,000 cash payout and with USCC and manufacturer’s contingencies added the purse could total nearly $20,000.

“The Red Lake I-500 is the USCC’s flagship event,” said USCC President Pat Mach. “The payout, format and level of competition place it at the top of all snowmobile races.”

As it has since its inception, the field of racers will range from top factory-supported Pros to riders who enter the race simply for the adventure of it and to be able to say they raced the I-500. This year USCC expects the rider count to range from 110-125 and over 175 class entries are expected.

“The USCC grows every year and typically we see the most registrations at the I-500,” Mach said. “We had 88 riders at the I-500 last year and 150 riders at the first event in Grafton, ND, so it’s a safe bet we will see an increase in riders at the I-500, we’re expecting about 120.”

USCC expects to know roughly how many riders will be in the race by Monday, January 11 but is accepting registrations until Noon on Wednesday, January 13.

The race format will feature three days of racing with riders covering roughly 170 miles a day. Due to the course length each day, every rider will have to make a fuel stop much like a “splash and go” NASCAR fans see in car racing. Riders will make one loop and will not ride “laps” during the race. The course will be different at least one day with possibly a different course each day and, as in years past, much of it will follow ditches and rivers giving fans plenty of chances to see the action. Fans can get course maps at Seven Clans Casino in Thief River Falls as well as on the USCC Web site beginning Thursday night.

“We will keep the format and course routes a secret until the rider’s meeting Thursday night, the day before the race will begin,” said Mach. “This will help insure no one is out scouting the course trying to get an advantage on race day.”

All classes will have a cash payout but there are Trophy 600 and Trophy 85 classes which are intended for amateurs or first-timers and they come with a markedly cheaper entry fee ($150) and award trophies to the highest placing riders. Other entry fees are $490 for Pro classes and $440 for the rest of the classes in the field.

Some noteworthy riders who will be racing the Red Lake I-500 this year include:

·Cory Davis (Soldotna, AK; Arctic Cat), No. 160: Davis is a relative newcomer to USCC events having raced just three of them, but out of those three he has two Pro 600 class wins. He has never raced the I-500.

·Corey Davidson (Holt, MN; Polaris), No. 3: A three-time I-500 winner, Davidson is a wily veteran and finished third in last year’s I-500.

·D.J. Ekre (Shevlin, MN; Arctic Cat), No. 52: Ekre is blazing fast and is becoming more consistent. He finished second in last year’s I-500.

·Brian Dick (Thief River Falls, MN; Arctic Cat), No. 23: When he’s not working during the day as a Development Engineer at Arctic Cat, Dick is racing cross-country. He narrowly missed winning the I-500 in 2006.

·Nathan Titus (Nampa, ID; Yamaha), No. 2T: A former top cross-country racer out West and snocross champion, Titus is back on Yamaha and back racing cross-country. A veteran rider, time away from the genre will be his biggest hurdle.

·Gabe Bunke (Moorhead, MN; Polaris), No. 74: Bunke has raced every USCC event since the circuit was founded in 2003. He’s finished pretty much everywhere in the I-500 except first, including missing the win by less than a minute in 2004.

·Bryan Dyrdahl (Bagley, MN), No. 55: While he’s told friends he’s retired, he’s made no official announcement and some think he may show up to race the I-500. He’s won it five times in 2000, 2003, 2006, 2008 and 2009.

Fans can listen to a free live broadcast of the race by visiting www.usccracing.com. Racing starts at 10:00 a.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Fans can get USCC news by registering online for the USCC newsletter, The Course Marker, and also online via Facebook. For more info on the Red Lake I-500 and USCC racing visit www.usccracing.com.